Guess according to some stats I should be dead by now.
At age 77 I still get in 5,000 miles annually. That's down from my average of 10,000+ miles before I retired.
Am no longer fast and don't ride as far.
Am 5'7" and weigh 135 lbs.
Pedal on!

You are my new hero.

Along with Alphonse from the Lance Radio Shack spots, and John and Dr. Bob the 60 and 65 year olds who come out on the Rocket.

My sense is that it was something more than that. I don't think he would have had it to hang with Contador and Andy this year. Hell, Levi can't even hang with those boys. Regardless, getting 3rd at 37 and riding in the top 20% of the peloton in the world's hardest bicycle race at 38 (nearly 39) is rather amazing.

You're just a punk...kid. Dave Kay in NJ was riding 15k a year until recently. HTFU!

PS - I think Dave is about your size. And he could still kick your butt. Plus, he's a Chem E. And he has more patches on his tires than India, has, well, Indians. Sorry, I meant Edison. Carry on.

You don't quit riding because you get old, you get old because you quit riding.
I'm 53 now and while not as fast as once before I have found as I've aged I'm more durable and I feel as strong as ever, tuffer, kinda like beef jerky.

I find that each year it gets easier. More miles in the legs means more muscle fibers recruited.
I would say that the time needed to recover increases a lot.

I can no longer play hockey 3 nights a week, play softball or soccer one day a week and cycle 6 days a week and have the success I used to have... and that's at 45.

But when allowed to recover, it doesn't get harder. You should be smarter and know your body better by then.

What is happening with the other 20-21 hours off the bike? Then I can comment on what is happening on the 3-4 hours on the bike.

What about the 35 yr old Ethiopian world record holder? Do the 23 yr olds beat him? Or the 31 yr old Kenyan holding the 2nd fastest time?

I am distance runner of 32 years and took up biking in addition to running more serious 2 years ago. My best marathon times were when I was 31 years old and the times started getting slower. I think long slow distance is probably making me good at long slow distance. My running times since I started riding about 2500 miles a year have been now better than a few years ago and I am 49. I don't have any real speed but could still run a marathon well enough it has been 10 years since the last one.

Now on the bike I have really improved this year but I can tell I am reaching my limit unless I stop running but I don't want to do that. I can see at this point my speed on the bike is limited by my age but also I am not too daring. I don't go around tight turns fast and hate riding faster if there is traffic. I think basically past 30-32 if you have done endurance sports for a few years you will go down hill slowly in speed but I still have endurance. I can go for a long time steady and a decent speed but need more recovery time.

There comes a point where you have to let go, relax and just enjoy what you are doing. I'm happy to be on the bike. For everyone on this forum there is someone out there that can drop them. For some of the younger, stronger riders it's fewer than some of us who have some age on them. It doesn't matter. If long and slow is where you are at then ride long and slow.

I agree. But he came out with a burning time trial and lady luck dumped on him from there on in. While I do not think he would have won the tour, I do think he would have been on the podium if he didn't crash so many times. I think he has crashed about 8 times already. To be honest, once he fell back on that stage 7 minutes, he mentally gave up. I'm thinking he has a stage win in him up in the Pyrenees.

Where's the fun in that?

I don't think he had a podium in him this year, and I really don't think he's going to go for a stage win. I think Lance is already mentally re-retired. And who can blame him? That sport is too friggin hard and he did it for too friggin long. Even considering his considerable physical talents, I really think Lance's greatest strength was always mental, the ability to suffer, and he did that better than anybody. But the motivation is gone now. And to suffer that hard, you need some righteous motivation.

I'm faster at 51, than I was at 21, or 31. As you get older, you've got sevral things working against you. One, it takes longer to recover from hard days; Two, you're more likely to have chronic illnesses (such as the OP's arthritis) and Three, your absolute potential drops overtime, most notably for explosive power, i.e. sprinting.

All of those things explain why you don't see people winning the Tour de France, past age 35, or Classics past age 40.

However the vast majority of us never approach our potential limits. Thus at 61 you can still be fast, perhaps faster than you were at 41 by realizing a greater percentage of the potential you still have.

To do that you have to train, eat, and rest, better and smarter. If it's enough of a priority, and assuming your arthritis and asthma are not diasbling, I guarantee you that you can still be fast enough to dust most any recreational cyclist regardless of age, and be competitive in Masters races.

In onther words your age, and the problems associated with it are obstacles, it is not an absolute limiter.

Aging reduces the amount of fast twitch muscle fibre. "Use it or lose it" applies here. Fast twitch develops speed/ acceleration and slow twitch is used for endurance. If you aren't training to maintain fast twitch fibre, you will become a slow and steady endurance rider.

I am the same age as you 61 and the answer is yes but.... With respect to hill climbs, the best P/1/2 elite men did the San Bruno Hill Climb this year in 15:XX and the best 55+ 17:XX which by calculation is about a 50 watt differential 380 to 330 watts (climbers). With respect to time trials, the spread on 40K TTs in our State championships is about 5 minutes: 48 minutes to 53 minutes for the men's open to the 60 to 64 age group. At the track, a great flying 200 time is low 12.X for 55+ with the younger sprinters at 10.x. So the hill climb, sprint times and TT data confirms a roll off in performance. However a 53:xx 40 K TT, a 330 watt 3 mile hill climb and 12 second flying 200 meter sprint are excellent performances that few racers achieve at any age.

I started racing in 2007 and I have competed in over 20 road and track races so far this year including two stage races where I am competitive against younger men as well as my peers. I have improved substantially over last year and upgraded to Cat 4 for both road and track. My power numbers are improving across the board with the most gain in sprint power. I am improving and I am competitive with my racing peers which is all that matters to me.

IMO, as one ages, we have to work harder, eat less and weigh less, recover hard and HTFU more than we used to.

I believe 100% of 118 year olds have zero VO2max.[/QUOTE]

Probably take whatever might be left just to get up the energy to die.

Age is always a performance factor. I think I can crush most people under 8 and over 90.
Weight
Arthritis
V02 max
strength
endurance
and many other things are as important performance factors

Everyone is different. I had a rather sudden 5% reduction in average speed at age 47 (riding the exact same routes for many years). When I moved to Colorado at age 50, it took a couple of years to become accustomed to lots of climbing. I rode my fastest time from Idaho Springs to the top of Mt. Evans at age 53 (2:35). Every year after that, I knew that my fitness was not good enough to better that time and haven't ridden it since.

Just a few weeks ago, I found out that my left knee joint will need replacement within a few years, so I'm quitting. I'm getting treatments to reduce the pain and stiffness until the replacement. Hopefully, I'll make it to 62 ( five more years) before the knee is replaced.

Interesting choice. Mine would be different, I think. I'd go for an early replacement so that I didn't have to quit riding, on the basis that a knee replacement probably has a 10-15 year life and keeping cycling is pretty fundamental to my general fitness and well-being. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

Obviously it's your knee, and your life, but have you thought all this through with your Physician? Cycling is a relatively low impact sport, and I can't see how you could do much in the way of aerobic activity that would be better for your knee than cycling, other than perhaps swimming.

So if you don't ride for 5 years, are you going to get largely sedentary, and if you do, are you going to put on weight, which may ultimately be worse for your knee?

My wife's a Rehab physician, and her advice regarding joint replacement is that you do it when the pain from the joint you're replacing is bad enough to prevent you from doing what you want. Following that advice, I'd ride as long as I could, then replace it.

But as I started its your knee, and everyone has their own priorities.

And, can I have all your campy stuff?

As a runner for the last 34 yrs (71,000+ miles run) and soon to be 67, I can tell you my race times have slowed over the decades. As a coach to 100's of runners over the decades one thing I have noted. A lot of runners show some improvement over the first 10 yrs of consistent training and racing. Not all, but more than you would think. Ofcourse, not a lot of folks keep running for 10 yrs consistently. Then there are illnesses and injuries. Not sure the same holds true for bike riders--as far as showing improvement over a 10 yr span.

In running someone wisely set up age groups:20-24,25-29, etc., etc. We also have age graded results. In 2008 I ran a 3:57 marathon as a 64 1/2 yr old--Boston Qualifer. Age graded to a 3:06!! Actually the fastest marathon I ever ran was a 3:16 at age 44--10 yrs after starting running. I actually PR'd all distances from 1 mile to the marathon after 10 yrs of very consistent running/training.

I am much prouder of my 34 yrs of consistent running than I am of any of my race performances. I like the idea that there is no finish line. Be greatful that you can get on a bike and ride or run. I sure am. Oh, I am back into biking after a 12 yr layoff. Ridden over 1,800 miles in just over 10 weeks. I am sure my running was a big asset to being able to ride as well as I have.

Weight: 1986: running PR's--140-145. (5' 10") Weight 7/2010: 145-150. Stay fit. It works. Nick

When? Never if you don't want it to.

Ned Overend was tested last year and had the same VO2Max at age 54 as he did at age 28 when he was a pro mountain biker.

EXACTLY. Practically none. You beat me to this one Velo Vol!

I've found physicians to be very noncommittal - no promises and little advice. FWIW, I have a brand new $700 knee brace that's intended to open up the joint on the medial side (inside) to reduce the bone on bone rub. I've ridden with it a couple of times, but it kind of sucks. I just moved to Thornton, CO, where the roads suck too - lots of traffic and few shoulders. If the fun is gone, I'm not riding.

I didn't want to bore folks with a long story, but I'm in the process of getting the design for my retirement home finalized, with construction to begin next spring. I plan to be the GC and do as much as the skilled work as I can. I'll be driving a 90 mile round trip nearly every day in addition to working on the house. I can't risk a knee replacement in the middle of an 18 month build schedule. After the build, I plan to start building a hot rod. I'd try motorcycles again, but the last time almost resulted in divorce.

Also, a doctor with any ethics won't perform a knee replacement any earlier than necessary, since they don't last forever and two is about the limit. For now, I get injections of this stuff. https://www.synviscone.com/

Two of my bikes are up for sale (cheap) on craig's list.

At racing age 55 Ned won the USA Cycling 2010 Mountain Bike Nationals Granby, CO single speed. It looks like that is for all ages. Typically, he wins the Mount Diable Hill climb in the P/1/2 category but this year came in second. He often races in P/1/2 road races locally. Another one is Larry Nolan at racing age 52 who terrorizes the 45+ peloton. Last year, he set a world record in the age 50 to 54 2K pursuit 2:17 in Australia and won 4 gold medals at Masters Track Worlds.